A New Bunch of Superstars

[thedudedominick]

Niagara Ice Dogs

-Big news out of a busy off season for Niagara. The Ice Dogs have acquired the top 9 draft prospects going into the season. Here is a breakdown of the players we will be following throughout the end of their CHL and NHL careers.

C Dominick Bellini #24 (thedudedominick) @DBell24

-Bellini is a playmaker in every sense of the word. His game is focused on setting other players up on offense. He struggles in the defensive zone, but his point production makes up for it. He really needs to develop a shot and some defensive skills to become a superstar at the next level.

D Sascha Jansen #22 (seb170455) @ESJ_Sascha

-Janson does everything well, but nothing great as a two-way defenseman. He can contribute offensively and is responsible defensively, but in order to make it at the next level he will need to figure out a way to become great at something. He is versatile and can play in any situation.

LW Maus Noah #76 (nz2407) @M_Noah

-Noah is a big player and can outmuscle people in the CHL. He needs to continue to develop his physical game and his play in front of the net when he goes into the NHL and matches up with players around his size. If his hands can develop he can become a major offensive weapon down low in the offensive zone.

LW Tyler Geradi #28 (shotz)

-Geradi is another play like Noah. Strong at the CHL level, but untested against players his equal. His hands are slightly better than Noah's right now, but Geradi is more of a liability on the defensive end.

D Robert Miller #13 (devo22) @Rob_Miller_13

-Miller is an undersized puck moving defenseman. He is rarely out of position but his strength and size will always be a question mark. Expect him to be in the score sheet more often than not, but can he hold up for an entire NHL season with his size?

RW Kevin Mettler #3 (slowpokemcgee) @MettlerK3

-Mettler is a scorer plain and simple. He can shoot from just about any scoring spot on the ice with precision. He does seem lost on the defensive side, but his point production nearly makes up for it. He needs to work on his strength and how hard he can shoot the puck, but he could turn into a powerplay specialist.

RW Matthew Zator #98 (mzator21)

-Zator sees the ice very well at the age of 18. He will be able to find open players and hit them tape to tape at any level. He struggles to create scoring chances of his own though and is another player who might be lost at the defensive end at the next level.

RW Zack Nelson #21 (tubestorm) @Z_Nelson#21

-Nelson can score with the best of them at the CHL level. He isn't the best skater though so he relies on others to set him up for his shots. When he does get an open shot though he rarely misses and can sometimes make goalies look silly with just a shot.

C Nathan MacDonald #17 (sens_ak27) @N_Mac_#17

-MacDonald is a rare shoot first center. If he is playing with a puck moving wingman he will be able to put up good goal numbers anywhere he goes. A weak skater and not a solid defender he has some work to do in those areas, but NHL teams will always take a chance on a guy that can score.

D Andy Lusak #23 (tmlgilmour93) @AndyLuuuu23

-Lusak is a big strong defenseman. He will never be out of position and always win a battle in front of his own net. He is not a very good skater though and needs to become better in the offensive zone. He is a great penalty killer and knows how to use his stick better than any other defensemen in this draft class.

[thedudedominick]

Niagara Opening Night Lines

Forwards

LW Maus Noah- C Dominick Bellini - RW Kevin Mettler

-The chemistry between these three was the best coming out of camp. The mix of power in Noah, scoring ability in Mettler, and the passing of Bellini has a lot of people excited about this top line.

LW Tyler Geradi- C Nathan MacDonald - RW Matthew Zator

-Not to be outdone by the first line this trio has high expectations for this season. Many in the Niagra camp are already calling this the second first line. They have the same sort of chemistry as the top with Geradi being the power guy, MacDonald the scorer, and Zator the passer.

LW Andrew Agozzino- C Ryan Strome - RW Zack Nelson

-Nelson is the other top prospect in the forwards for the Ice Dogs. He will be playing alongside a good playmaker in Strome. This third line is as good as many other OHL first lines. Expect Nelson to get plenty of chances to show scouts what he can do.

C Steven Shipley - C Alex Friesen - RW Brett Ritchie

Defensemen

D Andy Lusak - D Robert Miller

-This pairing puts two opposite players on this ice. Lusak the defensive minded guy and Miller the scorer. Lusak at 6'5 and Miller at 5'9. They compliment each other well and the defensive ability of Lusak allows Miller to jump into the offense.

D Jamie Oleksiak - D Sascha Jansen

-The more defensively sound pairing of the top two for the Ice Dogs includes a defensive minded Oleksiak and Jansen who is comfortable jumping up into the offense as well as playing as a stay at home D-Man. Both pairings are looking to get the same amount of ice time.

D Brock Beukeboom - D Dougie Hamilton

Goalies

G Mark Visentin - G Christopher Festarini

Powerplay

Noah - Bellini - Mettler
Miller - Jansen

Geradi - MacDonald - Zator
Lusak - Nelson

Penalty Kill

Bellini - Noah
Lusak - Oleksiak

MacDonald - Geradi
Jansen - Miller

Shootout Lineup

Nelson
MacDonald
Bellini
Geradi
Mettler

[thedudedominick]

Alright everyone time to do your part. Lets see your preseason hometown news article, a press conference, an interview, or anything like that. Keep it realistic and keep it like you would see in whichever type you decide to use.

[mzator21]

An Interview With Top Prospect Matthew Zator

Just before the start of the season we did an interview with one of the nine top prospects on the Niagra Ice Dogs. Here is the transcript of that interview:

How exciting is it being on a team with so many top prospects?

MZ: It's very exciting, I'm playing on a line with two great players who see the ice very well. It's going to be great setting up those two. Geradi drives the net and creates space for me and Macdonald. We hope to be a high scoring line.

Being the only player hailing from Aldergrove, British Columbia how much support are you getting from back home?

MZ: The support has been unbelievable and I am proud to be representing Aldergrove in the OHL. Now I am aiming to do the same thing in the NHL.

Describe yourself to the Niagra fans

MZ: Well, I am a playmaking winger who loves setting up goals. I believe an assist is just as important as a goal. I will shoot if the opportunity presents itself but I always look pass first. I'm not the best defensively. However my goal is to become a good two way player in the NHL.

Who was your idol growing up?

MZ: I always loved Trevor Linden. His was the ultimate team guy who put his team above all else. If I can become even half the player he was I will be happy.

So what's your goal for this season?

MZ: I want to drive my draft ranking up. My goal is to be drafted in the top ten. I also want to have a good plus-minus so that I can show scouts that I can be good in my own zone as well as the offensive zone

Thanks Matt for doing this. Good luck during the season!

MZ: Thanks for having me!

[TMLGilmour93]

Ottawa Tribune:

67's Trade Andy Lusak to Niagara!

News is that days before training camp the Ottawa 67's have traded stud defender Andy Lusak to the Niagara Ice Dogs. Sources can't confirm what the deal included but it follows a string of acquisitions by Niagara. Here is what Lusak had to say.

"It feels great knowing that I am going to be in for a real good run at the Memorial Cup. And to play with Robbie Miller, it will be fun. That guy is super creative. Afterall, I just really want to hit kids. Let's face it, I am a man playing in boys league. This season is going to be fun, the fans in Niagara are gonna see some first class hits all season. I can't wait to get to training camp."

I can almost garuntee that there will be a lot of Ottawa fans paying close attention to their favorite defenseman in the CHL, Andy Lusak!

Jim Moreau - Ottawa Tribune

[thedudedominick]

Las Vegas Review Journal

-It's not very often that we talk about hockey in this news paper. We have our home town ECHL Wranglers and that is about it. There is some buzz though now for a player who lived in Vegas up until a couple years ago. 18 Year old Dominick Bellini is being talked about as a top 10 draft prospect for the Upcoming NHL draft, but more importantly if you are a hockey fan you need to follow his new Juniors team the Niagara Ice Dogs. They have the top 9 ranked prospects and will be very exciting to watch.

-When asked about playing on the team this upcoming season, Bellini was very excited. "I've been competing with some of these guys for almost three years now here in Juniors, now I can find out day in and day out how I stack up to these guys. In camp our practices were heated and intense, and It will only make us better going against each other every day. I've got Noah and Mettler on the wings with me and these guys are by far the most talented wingers I have played with. As a team with a top 10 pick, just follow us around all season and that's all the scouting you need to do. I am excited, and I am honored the organization there thought I was worthy of playing with these guys. I can't wait for the season to start and see if we can mesh out there on the ice at game speed."

-We will be following this team for our hockey fans (we know there are a couple of you) throughout the season. For any of you out there who would like to check out Dominick on Twitter it's @DBell24. [[Not a real twitter account, just for this dynasty]] He told us he loves the fans, especially from the non-traditional markets, and He will communicate throughout the season just for you guys.

[thedudedominick]

Next update from the season will be after 5 games.

And yeah, I just realized I was spelling Niagara wrong. Just saw it at center ice for the first time. Any way I can change the thread title to the right spelling?

[SENS_AK27]

September 12th, 2011
By: Ed O'Harris

Halifax, is quickly becoming a hot spot for developing hockey players. Since the emergence of Sidney Crosby, more and more talent is being recognized coming from the peninsula city. Since Crosby, recent NHL Stanley Cup winner Brad Marchand and 2 time Calder Cup winner Andrew Gordon are also from the area. The consensus # 1 pick for the 2013 Draft, Nathan MacKinnon is following in the footsteps of Crosby and will be playing his first year in the Q with Halifax this season.

Then there is Nathan MacDonald. Someone that definitely isn't a household name, but is turning heads a long way from home in Niagara. MacDonald played Major Midget for the Halifax Titans and was selected in the 2nd round of the QMJHL Midget draft by the Moncton Wildcats. With high expectations coming into camp, MacDonald was a disappointment and lacked in his skating and defensive abilities. He was quickly cut from the team and his NHL career temporarily on hold.

MacDonald found himself in Ontario later that month, skating as an over-ager for the Oakville Blades. After playing for a year and having a respectable season, MacDonald got an invitation to attend training camp for the Niagara Ice Dogs. Unlike the previous year MacDonald had worked hard on his skating and defensive play and impressed the coaches enough to make the team. He is now expected to pivot the 2nd line and we'll be following his progress all year and support his dream of making the NHL.